Indians Make Big Splash, Sign Edwin Encarnacion

The Indians signed first baseman Edwin Encarnacion to a three-year deal. What is his fantasy value going to be now that he’s out of Toronto?

The Cleveland Indians made it to the 2016 World Series with an average offense. The team is versatile. Three offensive players are 25 years old or younger, but they still have a solid group of veterans to lead this team. The team just added the biggest free agent on the market, Edwin Encarnacion.

What can we expect from him in 2017?

At 33 years of age, Encarnacion had his best season of his career. He played in a career-high 160 games and crushed 42 home runs for just the second time in his career. He also drove home 127 runs and scored 99 of his own. Encarnacion did this while hitting .263/.357/.529 in the process.

More from Fantasy Baseball

• 5 fantasy baseball waiver wire pivots to replace Triston McKenzie
• Fantasy baseball mock draft 2023, 12-team: Aaron Judge over Trea Turner?
• 3 fantasy baseball sleepers being drafted too late
• NBA DFS picks December 25: Merry Bucking Christmas
• Fantasy Baseball: Hot pitchers worthy of starting this weekend

The Indians best power hitter was Mike Napoli, who is now a free agent. Napoli hit 34 home runs and 101 RBI. The next-leading power hitter is Carlos Santana with his 34 homers and 87 RBI.

Encarnacion brings some much-needed power back into the lineup. The Indians didn’t scare anyone at the plate. While they finished fifth in runs scored, they were 18th in home runs.

Encarnacion’s 42 home runs last season were just under 23 percent of the Indians’ team total.

Is leaving Rogers Centre going to affect Encarnacion’s performance? According to ESPN’s MLB Park Factors, it might.

Progressive Field ranks third in runs, fifth in home runs and fourth in hits. How that gets factored is it compares the rate of stats at home against the rate of stats on the road.

On the other hand, Rogers Centre ranks sixth, 17th, and eighth, respectively. As well as he hit in Toronto, he could do even better in Cleveland.

Looking at Encarnacion’s spray chart at Progressive field, I think he and the rest of the team will fair nicely with the transition. As the likely No. 4 hitter, Encarnacion will hit in front of Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis and a healthy Michael Brantley. Their values also rise with the addition.

This signing also affects the Toronto Blue Jays. It means that Ryan Goins is the starting first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, unless they sign someone else. If he is, though, his value will skyrocket as a starting first baseman.

Next: Will Athletics' Ryon Healy Break Out in 2017?

This is a huge signing. The Indians seem to be all-in to back to the World Series next season. I think Encarnacion hits just as well as he did in Toronto. He doesn’t lose much as far as lineup protection goes. I still rank him as a top-five first baseman.